Gina Centeno, the Rohnert Park woman accused alongside her husband of torturing their three foster children, died due to complications from leukemia while in custody, her attorney confirmed. Centeno, 53, passed away at Sutter Hospital in Sacramento this Sunday, just months before her scheduled trial in May on multiple charges, including kidnapping for ransom and torture, The Press Democrat reported.
Her death was announced by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office in a statement, noting her booking into jail on August 19, 2020, and her medical transfer from the local hospital to Sacramento shortly before her death. The sheriff's statement expressed condolences to Centeno's family, signifying the end of her chapter in a profoundly disturbing case, according to a statement on their official Facebook page.
While Centeno awaits her day in court, the harrowing details of abuse levied against the children have not been forgotten. Prosecutors alleged that the children, two girls and a boy adopted in 2007, were concealed from the public, chained to their beds, barely fed, and beaten for minor infractions. Jose Centeno, her husband and co-defendant, is charged with additional crimes, including allegations of rape and sexual abuse involving the children. He is still scheduled for a court appearance on Jan. 18, The Press Democrat detailed.
Attorney Evan Zelig, representing Gina Centeno, declined to elaborate on her illness following her transfer and subsequent death. As for the legal proceedings, the Sonoma County Assistant District Attorney Brian Staebell remarked that the case against Jose Centeno will continue, stating, "Procedurally, the case is next on for him to provide proof of that fact to us and the court," in an email The Press Democrat reported. In the wake of Gina Centeno's death, cases typically are dismissed, but the grave allegations and pending charges against her husband endure.
The lawsuit against the Centenos transgressed beyond the criminal court, including a federal lawsuit filed against them and Sonoma County in February 2022. This lawsuit incorporated claims of civil rights violations, negligence, intentional emotional distress, and more. Notably, Rohnert Park has settled the matter with undisclosed terms, adding a layer of closure to the tenebrous narrative of abuse and governmental oversight captured in the allegations, as covered by The Press Democrat.
